Proverbs of the Hated Romance
by Chiba Lae
Summary: A rather colorful situation has caused the school rivals to work together in order to avoid Filch hanging them by their thumbs in the dungeons. Perhaps the calling of the rain is a little more than it seems. Shonen ai, yaoi, HPxDM, HarryDraco
1. Attributes of change, Day 1

Proverbs of the Hated Romance 

WARNING/ Shonen-ai, perhaps future yaoi… maybe…

DISCLAIMER/ … yeah… I don't… I mean… I didn't… damn, it just isn't mine… (Crawls into a corner and dies)

**Chapter 1/ Attributes of change**

**- "Realization dawns on those who are too stubborn to see it."-**

It was raining outside, but Harry was longing to escape the captivity of the Gryffindor Common Room. Leaning his forehead against the freezing glass, he sighed and fogged up the window. He watched as the white warmth that had entered soon faded away. He should be studying for his potions exam that was the next day, but he simply couldn't concentrate.

He glanced over his shoulder at Hermione and Ronald. The girl was lecturing the freckled boy; most likely about how he had once again forgotten to annunciate the correct syllable in the new charm they had learned in transfiguration, which made objects grow wings. Luckily, Harry had mastered how to make his ink well fly above his head, and therefore was spared from Hermione's "helpful" instructions.

The pair was sitting in a couple large, squishy chairs a few yards away from him, and they were doing a pretty good job of not acknowledging Harry's presence. Deciding that he would rather walk around the dismal castle than stand here pointlessly, he made his way up to the dormitory to grab his cloak and umbrella (one which Hagrid had so kindly given him for Christmas last year). It wasn't until he came back downstairs and made for the portrait hole when Hermione decided to take notice of him.

"Harry? Where are you going? You should really be studying for your potions exam. You haven't gotten the procedure for brewing Neklis memorized yet, and you know as well as we do that Snape will show you no mercy if you stir right only eight times instead of nine, or chop the Liseb horizontally instead of diagonally. And – "

"Hermione! I'm only going for a walk. It's not after hours yet, and I'll study when I get back, alright?" reassured Harry, cutting into the lady's rant on why he was perfectly going to fail potions.

Ron, who was nearest Harry, whispered, "Fine, mate. But hurry back. I can't take much more of this…"

"I heard that, Ronald," stated Hermione stiffly.

Harry nodded. "Don't worry. I won't be long." With that, he turned to the portrait hole and left the others to do their 'studying.'

XXXXXXXXXX

Draco sat on a boulder at the edge of the lake. He had been caught out there when the rain had started, and was soaked through so quickly that he hadn't even bothered to try to get under some shelter. Besides, it was peaceful there. Yes, the rain was loud, but at least it wasn't the deathly quiet of the Slytherin Common Room. He gazed over the surface of what appeared to be the sea: uneasy, sharp, slapping and slashing each other due to the joining of water with water. He didn't quite understand why it seemed so harsh to reunite something with another one of it's kind. It reminded him of when he went home to his father.

For some reason, beyond Draco, he and Lucius harmonized in the presence of others. Yet, when placed alone together in his father's study, there was a tension that whispered both hatred and admiration. To say the least, he understood this rain just about as much as he understood his own father. With an aggravated sigh, he laid back against the bitter cold of rock and concentrated on the stinging of raindrops hitting his soft, bare flesh.

XXXXXXXX

Harry had successfully made his way to the Entrance Hall without a single confrontation with a teacher or another student. Ghosts were a different matter as he could already see Peeves floating about in front of the grand doorway to the Hogwarts Grounds. He stayed low, studying the thing's new 'game' and calculating just how to avoid it. Somehow, Peeves seemed to get a hold of balloons filled with… paint? Harry frowned as the ghostly male started redecorating the hall in many different colors that slid down the wall with each strike of a balloon.

Now paint was certainly something that Harry didn't want to deal with, especially in the hands of Peeves. He briefly considered returning to the Common Room, but decided quickly enough that he'd rather have a paint fight with an unfair opponent then study for potions. He regarded himself thoughtfully for anything defensive. Duh… he had an umbrella. He rolled his eyes at himself. Well, he'll go out there without it at first, and if the other attacks, he'll open the red and gold device.

Stepping hesitantly out from behind the banister, he revealed himself to the creature. It didn't take long at all for it to notice the student watching. "Oh, look. Potty-Head has come out to play." Harry slowly descended the steps to the ground level, keeping on-guard for the first balloon that it threw his way. Peeves simply continued chattering all the way down. But once Harry reached the bottom stair, the ghost smirked mischievously. "Ah, ah, ah. You shouldn't interfere when an artist in working." He cackled and grinned widely as he reeled back and shot a balloon through the air in Harry's direction.

Instantly, Harry had the umbrella opened and placed in front of him, breaking the line of fire for the paint-filled missile. Great… opening an umbrella indoors… Professor Trelawney was going to give him extra-horrific death patterns for the next week…

Peeves continued laughing manically, throwing bomb after bomb at Harry, who blocked them easily enough with the red fabric while somehow managing to reach the front doors. Standing before the great wooden slabs, face toward the levitating ghost in the middle of the hall, he reached behind him and pulled the door open just enough for him to exit. He slid through, closed the umbrella to pull it out, and sealed the door just in time for another round of paint balloons do crash into the oak barrier.

He gave a sigh of relief and examined the exterior of his umbrella. You couldn't even see the red underneath all the multicolored paints. At least the gold-colored metal was still clean so as to not make him worry about getting it on his hands and staining his clothes and such. The solution to his problem was simple. It _was_ raining, after all. He re-opened his umbrella, held in above his head, and stepping into the pouring rain. Immediately, he saw multiple colors draining off the edges of the fabric and he smiled to himself. For once, Peeves' trickery didn't have a lasting after-effect. Satisfied, he made his way across the grounds, the deep gray sky barely giving him any gloomy light to see by.

He reached the tree that he had once seen his father sitting under. Harry had accidentally fallen into the pensive Severus was using at the time (He didn't mean to; Honest). Harry sat down under it and placed the umbrella at his side. The canopy of the tree was so thick that barely any water came through at all. He stared at the area around him. The little light and thick rain gave limited visibility, but he could make out the trees and boulders along the edge of the lake. He wondered absent-mindedly if the squid was enjoying the pattering of rain on the roof of his 'house.'

But then, something caught his eye. Something, a figure, could barely be seen lying on one of the large stones. Harry blinked, staring hard into the rain, trying to determine if it was his eyes seeing things or if someone was truly lying in the pouring rain, getting drenched and sick. Finally, his curiosity got the better of him. Grabbing his waterproof contraption, he moved down the slope toward the water's edge and the location of the silhouetted figure.

XXXXXXXXXX

The stinging cold had long ago made Draco numb, and so lying with his eyes closed became as natural as lying in the sunshine, except this was better and there were no other people around to screw it up for him. Suddenly, the rain stopped hitting his face, yet he could still feel it pounding his legs. What in the world…? He peeked open a single eye to see the cause of this strange effect. There was something, a person, standing over him, above his head; the color of crimson blocked the dreary sky. "Malfoy?" came a voice. He immediately recognized it. No one else said his name in that way… whatever "way" that was. He didn't have the time to think on that at the moment though. Sitting up, supported by one hand and resting the other arm in his lap, he turned and looked up at Harry Potter.

"Potter." Draco said bitterly. It wasn't that he necessarily disliked Harry, but ever since he had rejected the offer of them being friends in first year, he felt obligated to make Potter regret the choice.

"What are you doing in the rain?" asked the Gryffindor skeptically, curiosity and concern tinting his voice.

"What about you? I don't see you any less 'in the rain' than I am."

Harry glanced up at his umbrella and then back at the blonde. "… You're soaked."

"No? Really? Thanks, Potter. I don't think that I could have figured that out by myself," responded the doused boy dryly. Sarcasm was something that had become attached to almost every single one of Draco's sentences. Not to anyone's surprise.

"Look. I came out here to get away from the stupid Common Room," said Harry, before shaking his head at himself. "Wait. Why do I need to explain myself to you? I just saw someone lying over here, so I thought I'd make sure that they were all right. But since it's you, I'm quite reassured that you became a lost cause a long time ago."

"Think you're so funny, don't you, Potter? Why don't you crawl back up to the Gryffindor tower and play wizard's chess with that weasel friend of yours?"

"I probably should. Any company is better than yours. I think I'd rather go back with the basilisk than stay here with you."

"Then why don't you? Trust me, I won't try to stop you from getting petrified."

"No, of course you wouldn't. That's what makes you so horrible."

"Thanks, Potty. I'll take that as a compliment."

Harry shook his head in disgust. "You know? I think I should stay, just to torture you."

"Torture me? I wasn't the one saying that I'd rather go be petrified than be in your presence."

"No. But you'd probably do something worse."

"Some of us aren't as desperate as you, Potter."

"Some of us aren't as idiotic as you, Malfoy."

"Why? Because I'm sitting in the rain? Ever think that I might have wanted to get away from my Common Room, as well?"

"At least you could have tried keeping some part of you other than your personality dry."

"I was out here _before_ the rain started. Sorry I wasn't as prepared as you were."

"You couldn't get back inside? Or even under a tree?"

"Water had already seeped through to my bones before I even had the chance."

Harry frowned and paused. "Would you rather stay out here longer so that the cold will make you sick? Or do you want to go inside and warm up next to the fire in dry clothes?"

Draco glared up at him. Who did Harry think he was, acting all logical and actually making sense and… and… damn it. Draco matched Harry's frown. Harry returned Draco's glare. And they stayed like that for several minutes, both too stubborn to back down. At last, Draco pulled himself off the stone slowly, his numbed muscles having slight trouble supporting his body weight. Facing Harry head-on, he crossed his arms. "What do _you_ want me to do, Potter?" He really didn't care what Harry wanted. Whatever it was, he would probably do the opposite, just to anger the other.

"Personally," started Harry. "I have had enough coldness for one night. I don't really care what you do, but I want to go back to the warmth."

"The dungeons aren't really warm, you know?"

"How would I know? I don't live there. But compared to how numbingly cold you are right now, it's got to feel pretty inviting."

Damn… He wasn't supposed to know that Draco was that numb…

Stifling a sigh of defeat, Draco sneered at Harry. "Fine, we'll go inside."

It would be an understatement to say that Harry was surprised. Draco actually _agreed_ to do something that Harry told him to? It was, indeed, unheard of. Not that Harry would point this out to the blonde lest he suddenly change his mind and freeze himself to death all through the night. Not that Harry _cared_ or anything…

They slowly made their way across the grounds towards the main doors. Draco could hardly move his legs at first due to the lack of feeling in them. Harry almost went to support him in order to help him walk, but thought it better if Draco didn't hex him to death. Nonetheless, they soon made it to their destination. Draco reached out to open the door when Harry remembered what was on the other side. He pushed the door closed again before Draco had even opened it six inches.

"What's the matter with you, Potter?"

"I almost forgot. When I came out here, Peeves was playing a nice game of one-sided tag using paint-filled balloons. I thought I should warn you in case he were still there."

Draco looked at him strangely. "Thanks," he said, before opening the door again, more cautiously this time. Whoa… Did… Did Draco Malfoy just say 'thank you' to Harry Potter? Impossible…! Harry was quite stunned to say the least. He just stared at Draco's back questioningly. Did staying out in the rain really make him sick in the head? Draco turned to Harry, startling the dark-haired boy out of his thoughts. "Let me see your umbrella," Draco practically ordered. Harry had no choice but to hand it over. The Slytherin boy slowing stuck the umbrella through the opening in the door. At first there was nothing, and then came the predictable splat of one of the balloons striking it. The poor umbrella was getting a beating that night…

Draco opened the umbrella, grabbed hold of Harry's upper arm, and pulled him underneath it with him. Harry's eyes went wide and blinked profusely at their closeness and Draco's protective hold on him. The blonde didn't even seem to notice the predicament. They stepped inside, both huddled underneath the umbrella, and came to see Peeves still floating there in the hall.

Malfoy examined the surrounding walls and floor, which were absolutely saturated with paint. Boy, was Filch going to be furious. How many of those balloons did he have? Draco gently pushed Harry away so that Draco stood between him and the ghost. "I like what you've done with the place, Peeves. What? Needed some _color_ in your afterlife?" he asked sardonically. Peeves did his infamous cackling laughter and threw another paintball at the two students. Draco instinctively swung the umbrella in front of them and blocked the shot, causing yellow paint to splatter on the floor due to the impact.

"So Potty-Head and Ferret-Boy are friends?" He cackled. "Too bad. You're timing is dreadful. I was just running out of balloons!" He threw two last cannon balls at them, both of which were successfully slashed away by Malfoy, and then somersaulted through the walls, out of the Entrance Hall, and out of sight. The two stayed in their defensive position momentarily in case the nut case of a ghost came back and threw another curveball at them. When he did not return, Draco let his arm fall, closed his weapon, and handed it back to its owner.

"There, no more Peeves," said Malfoy casually. Harry was too shocked to really say anything, although he tried to keep this feeling from showing on his face. Draco led the way further into the Entrance Hall, and then looked over his shoulder at Harry. "See you later. Dungeons are this way," he said, pointing to one of the side doors and pushing some of his dripping hair behind his ear. Harry nodded and they were about to part when they heard a meow.

Both turned to look at the top of the stairs. There stood Mrs. Norris. Of course. They looked at each other, both looking quite panicked. No way was Filch going to find them there and blame them for Peeves' pranks. They got in enough trouble as it was without the help of a mischievous ghost leaving them to pay for his mess. Harry took a step forward to run for it, but heard a squish sound. He lifted his foot and realized that his shoes were covered in paint from the puddles on the ground and the splattering of broken balloons, and he had just left a very clear shoe print on the wooden flooring. Again, both boys glanced at the print, at each other, and then at the top of the stairs as they heard a voice call out, "What is it, Norris, my pet?"

Draco squeezed Harry's arm to get his attention and indicated for him to follow him. He slipped off his shoes and began jumping across the floor, stepping only on the clean patches of wood. Harry went to do the same thing, but first smeared the shoe print with his now colorful sole before slipping off his shoes. By the time Harry had caught up to the other, the blonde was eagerly indicating him to hurry through the door that he was holding open. They wasted no time in rushing through and closing the door behind them. They stood close as they waited for a sign of discovery. It came all too soon…

"Someone is going to be hung by their thumbs for this!" yelled the raspy voice of the squib. The boys turned tail and ran deeper into the hallway, taking numerous turns in order to lose a pursuer that did not exist. It wasn't long until they had to stop due to lack of breath and energy. Draco leaned against the stone walls while Harry bent over, hands on his knees, both breathing deeply. Draco closed his eyes as he tried to calm himself, but the soft chuckling of another interrupted his peace. He peeked open his eyes for the second time that night to find himself looking at Harry. Harry's chuckling soon grew into full-fledged laughter.

"And just what is so funny?" he asked seriously.

"Did- didn't you hear him?" He asked through his laughter. "It was _priceless_! You- you have to admit that it was pretty funny!"

Draco just looked at Harry's grin disbelievingly. "We were almost caught!"

"I know! But we out-smarted them! Or more, _you_ out-smarted them. I have to admit Draco, you are a pretty fast thinker," said the raven-haired boy, smiling at the other. This caused the Slytherin to smirk proudly. "So… where are we now?"

"Near the Slytherin Common Room. We're deep in the dungeons," answered the blonde.

"Is there any way for me to get to the Gryffindor Common Room from here?"

Draco furrowed his brow. "I don't think so- Ah-choo!" Draco wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and gave a little moan. Great. The stupid rain _did_ make him sick. That's _just_ what he needed. He had a potions exam the next day. He couldn't afford to sneeze into his concoction and ruin it!

"Are you alright?" asked the other. "You need to go get into some warm clothes. It will be after hours soon, anyways."

"What about you? How will you get back to the Gryffindor Common Room?"

Harry shrugged and held up his shoes. "What choice do I have? I have to go through the Entrance Hall."

"Filch will kill anyone who even goes _near_ that hall."

Again, Harry shrugged. "I don't have any other option."

Draco thought for a moment. You can stay in the Slytherin Dormitory tonight."

Harry scoffed. "Are you kidding? That's suicide!" he exclaimed, causing both of them to chuckle. "Well, both Crabbe and Goyle are in the Hospital Wing tonight. I think they ate something and got food poisoning." It was now Draco's turn to shrug. "And Slytherins make it a habit of staying out of other people's business. It's like a mutual agreement that no one is allowed to break. I doubt that the few people in the Common Room would even notice you walk in."

Harry thought momentarily. It may be crazy enough to work. True, no one would ever suspect Harry to be bold enough to walk right into the Slytherin Common Room, and Slytherins did have a habit of only caring to notice their immediate party of friends. And with Malfoy's help, maybe he could actually— Whoa! Wait just one second! Is he _really_ considering this? It's impossible! No way! No How! Absolutely not!

"What about Pansy Parkinson? Or Blaise Zabini?" asked Harry, looking for an excuse.

"What about them?"

"Won't they notice _you_ walk in, and then notice me following you?"

"Pansy is usually in bed by 8:30 and Blaise is a very quiet guy. He wouldn't notice. And even if he did, he probably wouldn't say anything." (1.)

With a sigh, Harry considered the offer once more. Have Filch kill him… Or have the Slytherins kill him… Jeez, that's a hard choice…! "Fine, I'll go with you."

TBC…

I know absolutely nothing about Blaise's character, so forgive me if that was a complete lie. I really didn't mean it to be. (Cries)

A.N. / Wow… I have no idea where this is going. Lol. I didn't actually think that I was going to post this. I got an idea for the rain thing with Draco from a pic that I saw.

http/ then the Peeves thing happened… And then the sleepover thing happened… And now, the posting the story thing happened… (Laughs nervously) We'll just have to see where this goes, I guess.


	2. Breakfast, Day 2

**Proverbs of the Hated Romance**

AN/ So- This is my attempt at continuing this unexpected story. Hopefully, you all will enjoy it and send me nice, pretty reviews telling me what you think of it. True, this is only the second chapter. But you have to be at least somewhat interested if you are still reading it, right? Well, read on and enjoy…

**-"Sometimes, it is when one wakes that the nightmare truly begins."-**

Draco and Harry stood before a vault-looking door that had two serpents coiled around it. They slithered silently with their stone scales, their hissing being the only sound present in the dimly lit hall. "Razalas," said the Slytherin confidently. The serpents lifted their heads from the side of the door and regarded the two students, and then the door unlatched loudly. Malfoy pulled the door further open and stepped inside the Slytherin Common Room. He began walking straight across the cold stone floor of the dungeon room towards a stairwell, much like the one in the Gryffindor tower, except this one spiraled downwards. Harry peeked through the hole and checked the other students stationed in the great room. This hadn't been the first time that he had entered the Slytherin dungeons, having once done so under the influence of a polyjuice potion. Although, this time, he was in no disguise and was about to walk straight into enemy territory.

Noticing that not a single eye had even flashed to Draco upon his entrance, Harry would admit that he was starting to believe a little more that this strange plan may just work. Draco had not looked back once, most likely to not draw attention, but this made Harry decide that he should catch up or else he may lose sight of his guide. He first pulled off his bright red and gold tie and stuffed it in his pocket, and then removed his scarf and hid it within his cloak. Then following suit, he stepped inside the Common Room, keeping his eyes forward, and strode at a normal pace towards the stairway. He just had to be insane…

Once safely around the corner of the curving staircase, Draco looked back at the green eyed boy and smiled. "See? What did I tell you? Simple." From there, he led the way to the boys' dormitory. The blonde paused outside of a door and then whispered, "Let me just check if Blaise is in the room." He entered, leaving the door open enough for Harry to hear and see what was going on, but abandoning the nervous Gryffindor unguarded outside the dormitory.

Zabini was found lying on his bed with his nose in a book; most likely about a strange subject that Draco had no interest in learning at the moment. Malfoy pulled shut Blaise's bed curtains lazily. All that he got out of the other was a half-hearted, quite distracted swat at the fabric. Draco smirked and looked toward the door. He caught Harry's eye and motioned for him to come in, quickly and quietly. He pointed for Harry to go on the other side of an unoccupied bed, one which the drawn curtains would easily hide the raven-haired boy. Once concealed, Harry listened blindly as Draco continued. "Hey, Blaise. Leave for a while will you?"

"Why?"

"Because I need to memorize some incantations for Charms and I do not need you to listen in on me."

"Fine, whatever," said Zabini, rolling off his bed and heading out the door towards the Common Room.

Harry came out from behind the bed. "That was easy…"

"I told you it would be. The only Slytherin I know that doesn't mind her own business is Parkinson, and I'm not planning on any surprise visits from her," explained the Malfoy son, locking the door of the dormitory for emphasis.

Harry smirked and gave a short laugh. "Malfoy, in case you haven't noticed, this is all a little strange…"

"No, really, Potter?" Came the sarcastic reply as Draco began digging through his truck for an extra pair of pajamas for the Gryffindor. Yes, this _was_ odd, but there was no turning back now, and neither of them really felt up to doing so anyways. Malfoy threw the other a set of clothes, not even bothering to turn to look at him. "Besides, we are only doing this because our other option was you getting detention for a month." Well, now that Draco thought about it, a month-long detention for the famous Harry Potter would normally be an attraction that Draco could never pass up. Shaking his head, he told himself not to think so much about it. He'll scrutinize his stupidity in the morning; but for now, he had to make sure that they weren't caught.

Malfoy sat on his bed and motioned to the two on either side of him. "Those are Crabbe and Goyle's beds. You can sleep in one of them since they won't be out of the hospital wing until tomorrow evening at least." This earned a nod from Harry. "And hurry up and get dressed. I want to go to be- Ah-choo! Um… bed…"

"Bless you," said Harry, eyeing the Malfoy boy with a concerned face. He slipped off his robe and shoes before examining the outfit. The silk black was definitely different from Harry's cotton blue-and-white striped attire. Malfoy really _did_ live in the lap of luxury, didn't he? Well… or so it seemed to Harry anyway. He quickly changed as Draco pulled out his own pjs and got dressed. Both tried not to look at the other due to the awkward situation and tension. The whole thing seemed to bother them both now that they were well into the plan.

Harry lay in the bed on the left of Malfoy's, furthest away from all of the others. He was trying so hard not to think about how disgusting it was to be laying in Goyle's bed. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought and he kicked himself for just thinking about it. He sighed and crawled under the blankets. Draco was just doing the same. But before the blonde could close the emerald velvet curtains, Harry spoke. "Goodnight, Malfoy."

Draco looked up at the other and blinked twice, and then nodded calmly. "Goodnight, Potter."

With that, they both drew close their bed hangings and attempted to go to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

Harry awoke to someone shaking his shoulder. One by one, he forced open his eyes to see a rather irritated Malfoy standing over him. Harry went to roll over due to Friday morning instincts when he realized that it was _Malfoy_ standing over him (1). He sat up straight and reached for his wand, which was unfortunately under the bed along with his clothes. Damn… what was he going to hex Malfoy with!

"Harry! Focus, okay? Harry?" came the penetrating voice as the blonde continued on to slap him on the cheek a little (2).

"Ow! Yeah, yeah, okay, I'm up," responded the Gryffindor, swatting at the brutal hand that was giving him a rather pink face on the right side.

"Good, we need to get you out of here," Draco said, stepping back from the other boy. "Most of them have already gone down to breakfast, but we accidentally locked Blaise out of the dormitory all night. He's been banging on the door for the past ten minutes trying to get in here!"

Harry rolled his eyes and dropped his head back lazily. Out of where? Most of whom? And why the heck would Harry care if Blaise was locked out of his dormitory?

…

Oh… The previous night's events came back to him and he immediately stood up and began to get dressed again. His clothes didn't look the best and his hair was messier than usual, but he didn't care much either as he rushed around pulling on his socks so as to get out of there quickly. He had a feeling that the journey 'out of there' was going to be a lot more complicated than the journey in.

XXXXXXXXXX

Harry tried to smooth down his impossible hair as best as he could as he entered the Entrance Hall on the way to the Great Hall for breakfast. He took quick notice that the paint had completely disappeared from the walls and floor. Someone must have had a pretty nifty spell that cleaned that up in a grand total of two seconds. He laughed to himself and entered the Great Hall, spotting Ron and Hermione almost instantly. He made his way over there and took his seat next to the redhead. As he sat, Ron simply shook his head at him and Hermione glared.

She leaned across the table so that only Harry and Ron could hear her. "You'll be right back? Isn't that what you said? Not only did you stay out after hours, but you also stayed out _all night_! Harry, you didn't even have your invisibility cloak! What in the name of Merlin were you doing that whole time? Where were you?"

"Were you caught by Snape and made to do on-site detention, or what?" piped in Ron.

"Hermione. Ron. Calm down. People can hear you," Harry warned, glancing at the other Gryffindors sitting down the table a little ways.

"I _am _keeping my voice down, Harry. If you want me to be louder, that can certainly be arranged," threatened the girl.

"Can't we talk about this later?"

"I don't know, mate. I'm kind of siding with Hermione on this one. If nothing else, you usually tell_ me_ when you're going to break the rules, like with the Mirror of Erised."

Harry sighed. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but most certainly he couldn't tell them that he spent the night in the Slytherin Dormitory with Draco Malfoy. Hermione would be shocked speechless, and Ron would probably murder him! And with good reason… Harry, himself, wasn't even sure what he had been thinking the previous night. He would have normally gone up against Filch _and_ whatever teacher that he went running to (Most likely Severus Snape) rather than become alliances with Malfoy.

At that moment, Harry glanced to the doors of the Great Hall to see the blonde make his entrance. Hermione followed his gaze and glanced between the Malfoy son and her scarred friend. 'Speak of the devil…' Harry thought, tearing his eyes away from the Slytherin and staring back at his plate. 'Hmm, Malfoy thought so fast last night. I react instinctively when on a broom or facing Voldemort. But _he_ reacted cunningly to Peeves' attacking balloons, Filch's sudden appearance, and even Blaise's curious questions.' Harry found himself wishing he had that kind of talent at that moment as he found himself facing his two best friends.

"I got locked out," Harry replied, remembering Blaise's predicament that morning which had caused a rather annoying escape route for the two archenemies to draw out. "When I went out onto the grounds last night, I had stayed out a little too long, and it was already after hours when I got back to the Entrance Hall. The doors were locked and so I had to stay outside until the morning. I couldn't think of any other way to get inside."

Hermione didn't look very convinced. "So you stayed out, all night, in the rain?" Harry nodded. "You don't look very wet to me."

"I ran upstairs to change and clean up before coming to breakfast," Potter added, hoping that his story sounded even remotely plausible.

"Well, sorry to tell you mate, but you can definitely tell that you haven't showered," Ron commented, gesturing to Harry's untidy hair. The two boys laughed and Ron went back to eating, just accepting the story for now, or at least until he had a reason to doubt his friend.

Hermione, on the other hand, was not going to believe so easily. Harry's story made no sense whatsoever. In their first year, after visiting Hagrid on the day that Norbert was hatched, it was well after hours by the time they had returned to the castle, and the front door had _not_ been locked. And, if for some reason they _had_ started locking the Entrance Hall doors, Harry would be awfully sick right now due to the cold and rain. In fact… Hermione turned around to glance at Malfoy. It seemed that Draco Malfoy was sicker than Harry was. The light pink hues around his nose and eyes stood out quite noticeably against his extremely pale skin. Draco then sneezed, and confirmed Hermione's speculation of him being ill. She turned back to her two friends and gave Harry a suspicious look, but kept her mouth shut for the rest of breakfast. This was certainly unlikely and absolutely absurd… but Hermione definitely thought that Harry's absence had something to do with Draco Malfoy. So until she had proof that she was wrong, she would stick with this theory. She trusted her ability enough to know that she would crack this mystery with or without Harry telling her straight up. Harry wasn't a very good liar, and he knew it. Nonetheless, she decided it best to drop the subject before Harry noticed her doubts about him.

"So, Harry, are you ready for Snape's Potions Exam next class?" she asked her friend, interrupting his interactions with Ron.

XXXXXXXXXX

When the Gryffindor trio had entered the classroom, Snape already had the name 'NEKLIS' written in large letters on the board. Harry was already feeling the pressure of being forgetful fall upon him. How many times did he have to stir it? Eight, or was it nine? And was it left or right? And did he add the Liseb before or after he stirred?

He glanced over at Hermione who seemed perfectly confident in her knowledge of the concoction. Neither Ron nor Harry had any doubt that Hermione's Neklis potion would succeed in killing any spider (3). Not that Harry really saw the need in having such a potion. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't have to worry about an infestation of spiders in the Gryffindor tower.

Even so, that didn't stop Snape from making them memorize it. He was just discussing with Ron about the possible affects it may have on the potions master if it had 'accidentally' been added to his pumpkin juice when said professor entered the classroom, cloak billowing out behind him as usual.

TBC…

(1) I don't know… I guess I see Harry as one of those students who would rather sleep in on Fridays rather than go to school. But then again, that's all of us, isn't it? Lol…

(2) Did you notice that he called him 'Harry,' not 'Potter.'

(3) He'd have to try to get Ron to give it to Aragog. That would be amusing…

AN/ Sorry this was so short, but I will post next weekend. Hopefully you will like it much more than this chapter. I'm sooo sorry for its pitiful length!


	3. Confrontation of Sorts, Day 2

AN/ Sorry that I am later than I had said that I would be! I was really busy looking up Harry/Draco music videos! Lol! I'll put the link to the videos at the end of this chapter and on my profile page… Hopefully I remember… Lol, jk! Well, read on and enjoy! Oh! By the way, gratz to those of you who has realized that I was using backwards words (e.g. Lasib Basil).

Chapter 3/ Confrontation of sorts, Day 2

- "The _way _things are depends on _where_ you are." -

Snape turned shortly toward the classroom that was only half-full of students. (The rest only had five minutes to get there. Hopefully they ran…) "Set up your cauldrons in preparation for the Neklis Exam," he practically ordered. The Gryffindor Trio regrettably retrieved parchment, quills and inkwells from their bags and searched for their ingredients that were set on a table at the front of the classroom.

Harry was setting his Lasib and Wormwood Roots on his desk when a certain blonde Slytherin entered the room. Harry couldn't help but stop and stare. He had always watched Draco when he entered the classroom, mostly just to make sure that the other didn't turn and hex him into next week. But this time… he was intrigued by something. What was drawing his attention was unsure to Harry, but he certainly didn't like it! Draco looked toward him and their eyes met for mere seconds. Malfoy sent off a horrible vibe of hatred, which was normal. So then, why was Harry surprised to feel it?

Draco tore away from Harry's gaze and began preparing for the creation of his potion. After that, it seemed as if he was trying extra hard _not_ to look in the direction of the dark-haired boy. Malfoy hadn't known what exactly happened the night before, or why for that matter. But whatever it was, he simply wanted to forget about it now.

Hermione and Ron soon joined Harry and the girl caught him staring at the blonde right before he noticed that they were coming. "Harry, what's wrong?" she asked, sitting next the scarred boy, trying to be discreet about knowing about the Slytherin connection.

"Nothing, Hermione," he reassured, focusing on his potion.

Snape stood at the front of the class, glaring across the faces of his students. "Begin," he murmured. Everyone started up, moving robotically, attempting to brew the potion perfectly. Throughout the class, Harry found himself looking up at Draco and constantly being distracted from his Exam. Each time Draco sneezed, Harry felt for him. As he stirred in the Lisab, his potion grew horribly red, which he knew for a fact was _not_ supposed to happen. Predictably, Professor Snape was heading in his direction, peeking into the cauldrons of all the students as he passed by.

Harry frantically stirred in the other direction, trying and hoping to reverse his mistake, and to no avail. When Snape reached his desk, the teacher glared profusely at the youth. "Mr. Potter? Just _what_ are you trying to create?"

Harry answered in the only way he could. "A Neklis potion, Sir." Just then, Draco sneezed, and Harry sent him a sympathetic look, one that was thankfully missed by the professor.

Severus waved his wand over Harry's foul-scented concoction, erasing it from the Earth and leaving it clean. "Because you made a mess of your potion and failed miserably, ten points from Gryffindor. And you will serve detention this Saturday to make up the Exam for half credit. Understood?" Harry nodded, biting back his desired reply. "Now, since you have found such interest in Mr. Malfoy during this class, perhaps you would like to escort him to the hospital wing."

Draco glanced up at the professor, at Harry, and then back at Snape. "Pardon me, Professor. But why do I need to go to the hospital wing?"

"I cannot have you sneezing into your classmates potions and ruining them," he explained shortly as he returned to his desk to write a pass. "You, too, will return tomorrow to make up your exam."

Draco looked at Harry again. "I really don't need an escort, Professor." Snape handed the note to Harry and glared at them both. To say the least, they got the hint. Packing up their things silently, Hermione shot Harry a look of suspicion. He didn't quite understand, but he'd ask her about it later.

The two boys left their classroom quietly and started towards the hospital wing. Draco glared at the hallway in front of him the entire way there, while Harry was just trying to catch his eye. Finally Draco stopped dead in his tracks and turned sharply towards the Gryffindor. "Will you stop staring at me!"

Slightly taken aback, Harry just blinked. "Sorry…" Draco let out a frustrated sigh and began walking again, and Harry continued to watch him. When the Slytherin stopped again, Harry realized that he had done something terribly wrong.

"_Why_ do you keeping looking at me like that! What's wrong with you?"

Harry stood with his mouth partially open, thinking this over and finding no response. "I… don't know…"

"Well, stop it! It's annoying and sickening!"

"I said 'sorry.' "

"Ever think that it may be disturbing to have someone stare at you for an hour and a half?"

"You're talking to someone who gets stared at on a daily basis."

"Then you should know what it's like."

"I do… I was just concerned about your cold."

"Did I ask for your concern? Since when have you ever cared how I felt, or vice versa?"

"I don't know. Since yesterday?" Harry snapped back.

"Because you saw me in the rain? Or was it the paint? Or maybe the dormitory?"

"Why are you acting so nasty all of a sudden?"

"I've always been this way, in case you've forgotten! And _I_ want to forget about what happened yesterday! So just shut up about it!"

"No! That was the first time that I have ever seen you act civil and normal in any sense of the word!"

"Exactly!"

"So you want to keep your reputation as the slimy git? Fine by me! But I at least know that you are capable of laughing at a normal joke and can feel concern for someone else!"

"What?"

"The only reason you invited me into the Slytherin dormitory was because you didn't want me to get a lifetime supply of detentions!'

"So what? Maybe we have a common enemy in Filch. It doesn't matter much anyway seeing as you just got yourself a detention for tomorrow and points taken from your house."

"And whose fault is that?"

Draco looked at him as if Harry was the stupidest person in the world. "Yours," he said simply. "I didn't make you stare at me the whole time! That was your own doing. And it was your fault that your potion was screwed up. Pay more attention, Potter!"

"Oh yeah, that's another thing, Draco. You were calling me Harry last night. Did you just forget about having to only use our last names when referring to each other?"

"Don't you ever call me Draco," said the youth, advancing toward Harry threateningly. "I told you to just forget about last night. It was stupid and I don't understand why those things happened."

"Neither do I! They just _did_! It's not something that has to be understood, Draco!"

"Don't call me that!" he said aggressively, taking another step toward the other boy, closing the gap between their bodies so as to be literally face-to-face with the Gryffindor.

"You were fine with it last night!"

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

"You'd like to see me try wouldn't you?"

"Yes, actually," responded Harry, pressing forward against the other boy. What was he doing?

Malfoy took a step back, drew his wand, and held it to Harry's neck before Potter really understood what was going on. "You don't get it, do you, Potter? We're still enemies. Always have been, always will be!"

Harry blinked slowly at the blonde boy. Ignoring the posed wand, he spoke softly. "Since when?"

Draco wasn't prepared for this kind of reaction, for the lack of yelling, for the sincerity in Harry's eyes. His wand arm slowly dropped to his side and his eyes searched the floor for an answer. Since Harry was so popular. Since Harry made Quidditch Seeker in his first year. Since Harry befriended a Mudblood and a hand-me-down family. Since Harry rejected his hand…

Draco looked up at Harry, eyes quivering with bared hatred. Turning on his heel, he headed straight for the hospital wing, leaving Potter alone in the corridor.

Harry watched helplessly as the other boy fled. After he turned the corner, Harry unfroze. Kicking the air and burying his face in his hands, he yelled at himself mentally. 'What was I thinking! Oh my gosh!" Taking a deep breath, he leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. He leaned his head back against the cold stone. "I'm an idiot," he whispered to himself. Drawing up his knees to his chest, he wrapped his arms around his legs and hid his face in his arms. "Agh… Stupid Draco…"

XXXXXXXXXX

'Damn Potter. Damn him to hell,' he thought bitterly to himself, holding back tears of frustration and confusion. 'Who does he think he is, getting to me like this!' He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He had hated Harry since he first met the boy. He hated him since he first heard of him, since his father talked about him more than he talked to his only son, since the Dark Lord wanted nothing else other than Harry. He had always hated Harry! And now what? One night of acting humane towards the boy has made him think that they were on good terms? No… he still hated the Gryffindor, even more so now that he knew one of his weaknesses. But if he hated him so much, then why did he already want to go back to him?

XXXXXXXXXX

An hour had passed since Draco had abandoned him, and Harry was now out on the grounds sitting on the boulder by the lake where he had found Draco the previous evening. The sky was gray and thickened my heavy clouds. Rain wouldn't be a surprise. Nevertheless, Harry would rather not go back to the Common Room with Ron and Hermione. There would be no way to avoid their questions, but he could avert from them for now. Besides, it was peaceful and calm out here, and he could think over what had occurred between himself and the Malfoy child. Sighing lightly, he placed his hands behind his head and lay back against the stone, and then Malfoy came into sight. Startled, Harry sat up and turned towards the boy who had been standing behind him. "How long have you been standing there?"

Draco shrugged. "Not very long. I'm not too shocked to find you here, either. Hmm… why does this seem so familiar?"

Harry smiled. True, had their positions been switched, they would be reliving the past. "You are out of the hospital wing, already?"

"Madame Pomfrey just gave me a simple tonic. She said that it was so minor that I had no reason to stay."

"Were Crabbe and Goyle still in there?"

"Yeah. They're going to be able to leave later today, though," explained the blonde as he sat down next to Harry,

"Good to hear. Are you glad that they will be back?"

Draco nearly laughed. "No. I'm only friends with them because… actually, I'm not sure why." He smiled at Harry.

The dark-haired boy looked down at his hands as he tried to form words to suit what he was trying to say. "Um, Malfoy, about earlier-"

The Slytherin swatted his hand in front of his face as if there was a fly there that was irritating him. "Don't worry about it. It was as much my fault as it was yours… I think…" he added, good naturedly.

"See? Why can't we act like this all of the time?"

Draco frowned to himself. "Dunno. But I don't really care anymore. I've said that phrase more times today then I can remember."

Harry laughed and hugged at his knees. Resting his chin on his arms, he gazed over the lake. Draco spread his legs out in front of him and leaned back on his hands. Harry's eyes flickered over to Draco before returning to the water's surface. "Don't you think this is kind of strange?"

"Of course this is strange, Potter," smirked Draco. "Two days ago, we would have hexed each other to death."

"And now we are just sitting here as if we were normal people…"

Harry and Draco looked at each other and held their gaze. Silver and emerald melted together. How strange indeed… How odd that they may get along and not fight. How peculiar that they may speak and not argue. How ridiculous that they had never been able to do so before then. Although, this moment of clarity could never last forever, and the disruption was most unwelcome.

"Harry!" The two boys turned to the castle to see Hermione and Ron coming towards them. They glanced at each other before Harry nodded a good-bye. "See you tomorrow," he whispered, and went off after his friends. Hermione was glaring daggers at Harry and Ron was gawking at Draco. 'Great… this should be _fun_…' the two accused boys thought to themselves. The girl grabbed Harry's arm and the Gryffindor Trio headed back inside the castle and to the Common Room, leaving Draco sitting on the boulder wondering just what he was trying to do.

TBC…

AN/ Yay! Hope that this one was a little better than the last! Anywho, I will not have access to a computer until mid to late July. Think you guys can live without an update for that long? Trust me, I would rather post sooner, but I'll be in Europe and away from my home for quite some time. Well, leave me a review about what you all thought about this chappie and how these confrontations made you feel. I love hearing what you guys were thinking while you were reading. Well, TTFN, ne? Ta Ta For Now! (Just take out all of the spaces from the below link to go watch all of the Harry/Draco music videos that I have found. Currently, there are 34, but I'm still looking! -)

http // www. youtube. com/ view play list?p E56C8536C1C3E92E


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